17beta-propenoyl steroids and process for preparing same



United States Patent Ofi ice 3,033,874 17fl-PROPENOYL STEROIDS AND PROCESS FOR PREPARING SAME Ellis R. Pinson, Jr., Waterford, Eugene J. Agnello, Lyme, and Gerald D. Lauhach, Niantic, Cnn., assignors to Chas. Pfizer & Co., Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware N0 Drawing. Filed May 11, 1969, Ser. No. 28,179

' 2 Claims. (Cl. 260-397.45)

This application is concerned with new and useful steroid compounds. More particularly, it is concerned with certain Uri-propenoyl derivatives of adrenocortical- 1y active pregnenes which are useful in the preparation of other therapeutically useful steroids characterized by the presence of a dihydroxylated propanoyl group at the H S-position. These latter compounds are described and claimed in copending and concurrently filed patent application, Ser. No. 28,180. It is concerned also with a method for the preparation of these valuable compounds.

The compounds of this invention may be represented by the formula:

RM wherein R is a cyclopentanopolyhydrophenanthrene nucleus characterized by having adrenocortical activity when substituted at the l7p-position with an a-hydroxy acetyl group and M which is located at the 17fi-position and replaces the a-hydroxy acetyl group is a propenoyl group.

The compounds of this invention may be further defined as compounds having the formula:

this invention are useful in the preparation of compounds of this class.

The preferred compounds within the purview of this invention include those having the formulas:

3,033,874 Patented May 8, 1962 OH; OH;

CH1 7 OH:

H CH

and

In the abovestructures, R is hydrogen or methyl; R is hydrogen, fluorine, chlorine or methyl; R is hydrogen or hydroxyl and R is wherein R is an acyl group containing only carbon,

' 40 ternary alkyl ammonium halide salts having the formula:

wherein R has the same meaning as above and the 13- (trialkyl ammonium halide)-propanoyl group is located at the 17fl-p0sition and replaces the l7p-(e-hydroxy 'acetyl) group. In the above formula, R R and R;

which may be the same or dilferent in a specific compound are selected'from the group consisting of alkyl containing up to four carbon atoms and Z is a halogen atom. For the preparation of the preferred compounds,

R will have the structure illustrated above.

Starting materials are prepared in accordance with'the procedure described and claimed in copending and concurrently filed patent application, Serial No. 28,178. This application describes their preparation from the corresponding 21-desoxy compounds by treatment with a mixture of formaldehyde and lower alkyl amines followed by conversion of the resulting 21-dialkylaminomethyl compounds to quaternary lower alkyl ammonium halide compounds by reaction with a lower alkyl 35 halide;

These latter compounds are converted to the valuable compound of this invention by reaction with Water or aqueous alkali for from about one to about six hours at hydrogen and oxygen, being derived from monoor di-, carboxylicv acids containing up to ten carbon atoms;

, procedure. whether. or not a temperature of fromabout 20;C. to about 30 C. Temperatures below and above this preferred range can be used although less satisfactorily. Thus, if atemperature considerably below 20. C. is used, the reaction is too slow to be practical and if a temperature considerably above 30 C. is used, there may of the desired product. I V p It should be mentioned't-hat with certain less water soluble .quaternary compounds, it maybe necessary to add a small amount, say from about-1% to about 20% of a solvent such as tert-butanol to solubilize the starting compound. j p V Although the desired products formqby simple reaction with water, they form more readily'and often in higher yield if the reaction is carried'out at an alkaline pH of from 7.5 to about 12. The desired" alkalinity may be efiected by adding a small amount ofaqueous alka line reagent. lllustrative alkaline reagents include, for example, aqueous solutions containing from about 2% to about 10% by weight'of an alkali or alkaline earth metal hydroxide, oxide, carbonate; bicarbonate or alkali metal acetates, tartrates or citrates, Approximately three to. five percent lay-weight of aqueous;sodiumzbicarbonate solution has been. foundto aflo'rdexcellent' yields, and this is the preferred reagent. s

In summary, the desired products are formed by mixing the quaternary lower alkyl ammonium halides illustrated above in an aqueous solution at a pH of from about 7 to about 12 at a temperature of from about 20 C. to about 30 'C. for a period of from about one to' about six hours. The aqueous solutionomay contain a small amount of a tertiary alcohol.

be some decomposition this may often r'esult in better overall yields. Ifv an extraction step is used, it may be desirable to add a small amount of acid to the aqueous mixture to insure that all of the amine by-product of the main reaction is converted to an acid salt which is insoluble in the organic solvent.

Occasionally, when a quaternary iodide is used, the iodide salt which forms is insoluble in water. Obviously,

' this could lead to contaminationrof the final product par- 7 traction step.

ticularly if it is insoluble in waterand co-precipitates with the iodide salt. In these instances and inany otherinstances Where there is co-precipitation of the main prod not and by-product, it is'a-lways preferred to use an ex- 7 The propenoyl compounds are isolated from the organic solvent by removal of the solvent in vaouo preferably after drying the solvent using an anhydrous drying agent such as sodium or magnesium sulfate. The product may be further purified by, recrystallization from a.suitable solvent such as methyl alcohol. I s

The synthesis set forth below is illustrative of the preparation of the compounds of this invention-from the 2 1-desoxy compounds as described and claimed in copending andiconcurrently filed patent application Serial No. 28,178. It showsthe preparation of 9u-fiuoro-2'lmethylene-Ai-pregnehe-l1B,17a-dio1-3,20-dione. It also illustrates the use of thesecompounds in the preparation of the valuable therapeutic agents as described and claimed in copending'and concurrently filed patent application,

Usually in .desiredfproduct will precipitatefrom the reaction mixture as it forms and reaction is complete when no more precipitate forms. Occasionally, however, the desired product will not precipitate. In these cases,

the product may be isolated-by extraction with awater immiscible hydrocarbon or halogenated hydrocarbon sol- It is, of course, possiblefto v.usean extraction peritane. V

the product precipitates and .vent' including, for example, ethylene dichloride, chloro form, carbon tetrachloride, .ohlorobenzene, benzene and Serial No.28,l80. These latter therapeutic agents are.

useful for the same purposes as hydrocortisone and prednisolone. -As will be noted, they are prepared by treatment of the corresponding propenoyl compound withosmium tetroxide. The reaction is carried out by contactingthe propenoyl compound withosmium tetroxide in aslower. ether solvent containing up to eight carbon. atoms .such as dioxane at a temperature of from about 20 C. to about 30 C. for from about 16 to about 72v hours. The resulting product is an osmate ester which may be decomposed with hydrogen sulfide to precipitate osmium sulfide. The desired product is then recovered from the filtrate, for example, by evaporation.

H0116 i z)2N E-HOl wumnco,

OHZOH CHOH F TH:

The following examples are given solely for the purpose of illustration and are not to be construed as limitations of this invention, many variations of which are possible without departing from the spirit or scope thereof.

EXAMPLE I 21-Methylene-A -Pregnadiene-I1B,17a-Di0l-3,20-Di0ne A solution of 200 mg. of 21-dimethy1aminomethyl-A pregnadiene-l 1,8,17cx-dil-3,20-di0ne methyl bromide (prepared as described in copending and concurrently filed patent application'Serial No. 28,178) in ml. of water,

was prepared and clarified by filtration. To the solution there was added 68 mg. of sodium bicarbonate in 2 of Water at 25 C. A white precipitate separates immediately. The suspension is stirred for 1 hour, filtered, washed with water, and dried in vacuo. The precipitate is recrystallized from methanol to yield the desired product melting at 217-2l8 C.

Analysis.-Calcd. for C H O .C=73.92; H=8.18. Found: 0:73.77; H=8.13.

EXAMPLE II 21-Methylene-A -Pregnene-11 3,17cz-Di0l-3,20-Di0ne A solution containing 200 mg. of 21-dimethylaminomethyl-A -pregnene-l1B,17m-diol-3,20-dione butyl chloride was dissolved in 10 ml. of water and stirred at 20 C. for 6 hours. The desired product separates and is recovered by filtration.

EXAMPLE III 2 a-Methy 1-21 -Mez'hylene-A Pregnene-11 6,1 7oL-Di 0l-3 ,2 0- Dione A solution containing 200 mg. of ZI-dimethylaminomethyl-2a-methyl-A pregnene-115,17u-diol 3,20 dione methyl bromide is dissolved in ml. of water and clarified by filtration. The solution is adjusted to pH 12 by the cautious addition of 2% aqueous sodium hydroxide at 30 C. A white precipitate separates immediately. The suspension is stirred for 4 hours and the desired product recovered by filtration.

EXAMPLE IV Qa-FIMOrO-ZI -Methyiene-A -Pregnatriene-1 1B,] 7 a- Dial-3,20-Di0ne A solution containing 400 mg. of ZI-diethylaminomethyl-9u-fluoro-A -pregnatriened 1 6,171: diol 3,20-

dione ethylchloride is dissolved in 15 ml. of water and the solution clarified by filtration. A 2% aqueous solution or sodium citrate in 2 ml. of water is added. The resulting mixture is stirred for '4 hours during which time the desired product separates and is recovered by filtration.

EXAMPLE V 21-Methylene-A -Pregnene-11fi,16a,17a-Tri0l-3,20-Di0ne A solution containing 200 mg. of 21-diethylaminomethyl-M-pregnene-l1/3,l6a,l7a-diol-3,20-dione 21-acetate methyl bromide was dissolved in 15 m1. of water and stirred at 25 C. for 4 hours. The desired product sepa+ rates and is recovered by filtration.

EXAMPLE VI 6a-Methyl-21-Methylene-A -Pregnadiene-1 7oc-0l-3,11,20- Trione A solution containing 300 mg. of 21-methyl-ethylaminomethyl-6a-methyl-A -pregnadiene-17u-ol-3,11,20 trione butyl chloride was dissolved in 20 ml. of water adjusted to pH 9.5 with aqueous sodium carbonate and stirred at C. for six hours. The desired product separatesand is recovered by filtration.

EXAMPLE VII 6a-Ch-l0r0-21 -Methylene-A -Pregnene-1 15,1 7a-Diol- 3,20-Di0ne A solution containing 150 mg. of ZI-diethylaminomethyl-6a-chloro-A -pregnene-11/8,l7oc-diol 3,20 dione methyl iodide is dissolved in 15 ml. of water and stirred at 25 C. for 4 hours. The resulting reaction mixture is extracted with chloroform, filtered and the desired product recovered by evaporation of the filtrate.

EXAMPLE VIII 16a-Flu0ro-21-Methylene-A -Pregnadiene-11B,17a--Di0l- 3,20-Di0ne A solution containing 300 mg. of 2l-dipropylamino 21-methylene-A -pregnadiene-l1fi,14a,17a-tri0l-3,20-

9a-fluoro-6-methyl-2l-methylene-A -pregnatriene- 11B,17a-diol-3,20-dione 9ot-bromo-6-methyl-21-methylene-A -pregnatriene- 11,8,17u-diol-3 ,ZO-dione 9a-fluoro-6-methyl-21 methylene-A -pregnadiene- 11/3,17a-diol-3,20-dione 9a-bromo-6-methyl-21-methylene-A -pregnadienel 1,3,17oz-dll-3,20-di01'16 2m-methyl-21-methylene-A -pregnadiene-1 1 3,17a-diol- 3,20-dione 2a-methyl-21-methylene-A pregnadiene-17a-ol- 3 ,1 1,20-trione 9a-bromo-2u-methyl-21-methylene-A -pregnadiene- 1113,17a-di0l-3 ,ZO-dione 9a-fiuoro-2a-methyl-21-methylene-A -pregnadieneol-3,11,2G-trione 16u-fluoro-2 l-methylene-A -pregnene-l 15,17a-dio1- 3,20-dione 6a-chloro-9u-fluoro-2l-methylene-A -pregnadiene-l7ao1-3,11,20-trione 16fl-fluoro-2 l-methylene-A -pregnene- 17oc-Ol-3,1 1,20-

trione 9a,16,8-difiuoro-21-methylene-A -pregnadiene-l 15,17-

diol-3,20-dione The 16m-hydroxy1 compounds from the foregoing examples are converted into esters in accordance with standard procedures. The esters prepared included the propionates, butyrates, propenoates, decanoates, hemiglutarates, hemisuccinates, benzoates and cyclohexanoates.

Compounds within the purview of this invention with an ll-keto function are prepared either from starting materials having this substituent or by oxidation of the final product with chromium trioxide or the chromic acidpyridine complex. With 16-hydroxy1ated compounds, the hydroxyl group should be protected by esterification prior to oxidation.

What is claimed is:

1. A compound selected from the group consisting of those having the formulae:

CH3 CH3 $11: ("3:52 CH CH l R1" R1 a '----on '----on Y R: Y 4

X X CH CH3 R1" R1 O and O;L/\/

wherein R is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and methyl; R is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, fluorine, chlorine and methyl; R is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and hydroxyl; and R is selected from the group consisting of wherein R is selected from the group consisting of hy- 40 drogen and acyl groups containing only carbon, hydrogen and oxygen and derived from monoacids containing up to ten carbon atoms; X is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, halogen, methoxy and ethoxy and Y is selected from the group consisting of keto and B-hydroxyl.

2. A process for the preparation of a compound as claimed in claim 1 which comprises maintaining the corresponding 17B-(tri-alky1 ammonium halide)-propanoyl compound, wherein the alkyl groups contain up to four carbon atoms, in aqueous solution at a pH of from about 7 to about '12 at a temperature of from about 20 C. to about C. for a period of from about 1 to about 6 hours.

No references cited, 4. 5

and dicarboxylic 

1. A COMPOUND SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF THOSE HAVING THE FORMULAE: 